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I want my car back! :(

I know it’s totally weird to start an article and a blog like this, but I’m tired of what’s been happening to us for the last few weeks, and I can’t take it anymore. I have no one but my husband to talk to, and he’s really down as well. I feel that putting this on “paper” would clear my mind off the troubles and maybe get me some advice. So here I go.

We got into a car crash on March 2nd. Some lunatic crashed into us at 50ish mph and hit us from the side. I was driving and my hubby was in the passenger seat. We got away with only a few scratches and bruises – and probably several years’ worth of nightmares – and so did the other driver. The car, however, was totaled. The engine is wrecked, and the guys from the insurance company said there’s nothing that can be done about it. And here is where our trouble begins.

Since we are talking about a very old car – a 1989 Buick – we are only going to get $750 for it. They said that’s the current value of a 24 year old car – and it probably is, I’m not judging their estimates. However, that car was our only means of transportation.

We both work in a factory that’s 40 miles away from our town. We both used this car to commute to work, which is a lot cheaper than riding the train, which was the second cheapest alternative. The train is now going to cost around $150 per week for both of us.

Our 5 year old goes to daycare five days a week. We were using the old car to drop her off in the morning and pick her up in the afternoon. The train schedule doesn’t exactly work in our advantage – there’s a 30 minute window around 5 o’clock when one of us is supposed to get off at the train station, get to the daycare center, pick her up and then make it back to catch the next train. There’s not enough time for that, so we’ll have to get a taxi.

Now, if our math is right, one of us will have to quit the job altogether. The extra expenses are quite high, and there’s no way to get home or to the nursery if there’s an emergency.

I should add that we have no family members in the area to rely on, and getting a babysitter is way over our budget.

And, to make things even worse, it seems like there will be some time before we get the settlement check. Everybody says that State Farm has a proven track record of stalling claims for the wackiest reasons. That $750 will be barely enough to get another car – we don’t have any savings, and are almost maxed out on all of our credit cards.

In other circumstances we would’ve laughed at this and praised the Lord for making it alive. But the lack of our jaunty old car has brought us on the verge of despair.

We have thought of getting an accident attorney to sue for the lost incomes. However, again, we don’t have money. We have to find a contingency lawyer, and I’m not very sure we have such a strong case. But, as of now, this seems to be our last resort.

Well, now that I've written this I'm a tad bit more relieved. I'll keep you posted with how things go.